The Rest of Our Lives
by Rhiannon A. Christy
Summary: Steve has plans for the rest of his life, only he should have known better. Inspired by the song and video of Garbage's "The World Is Not Enough"


The early morning sun filtered through the curtains, giving the room a homey warmth. The light dusted across the pale back of the man still sprawled out on the mattress. Darcy smiled as she gazed across the room at the shapely curve of the man, laid out before her in all his nude glory. Only a thin sheet barely covering his behind remained.

There was something about the morning after with Steve. There was a feeling of such contentment and belonging that she almost forgot just who she was… just what she was.

Moving across the room, Darcy slipped onto the bed and slowly crawled up Steve's body. The lace of her gown dragged across his bare skin, causing him to stir from his sleep.

"Morning Doll." Steve's voice was rough as much from sleep as it was from his over use of it from the night before.

"Mmmm, morning." Darcy nipped at the back of Steve's neck, her lips and tongue soothing each place her teeth pinched. There was just something about this man that made Darcy's brain shut down. Everything she had learned, all her training went out the window with one taste of him.

Steve carefully turned over until he rested on his back, Darcy still poised above him with her thighs straddling his hips. He slipped his hands up her legs, curling them around her waist as she slowly teased him by barely moving her hips.

"Be careful, if you don't stop I might have to punish you." He gave her waist a slight squeeze as she dipped her hips with just enough pressure to send his heart racing. Taking in the ornery look in her eyes he couldn't help but laugh. His girl was nothing if not naughty. In all areas of her life, he thought as she dipped again.

"What makes you think it would even be punishment? Haven't you heard…." Darcy leaned down until her lips pressed against his ear, "…bad girls enjoy it." Sitting back up, she placed her hands on his chest and stared down into his eyes.

"Well then, I better not disappoint" Slowly Steve scratched his nails up her sides until he clasped them over her shoulders, and with a single move he flipped them.

"You have yet to." Darcy laughed as Steve attacked her neck with little kisses. His fingers grazed over her arms and teased at her breasts, causing her stomach to flutter. When he pulled back she looked into his eyes and the reality of who she was came crashing down on her. This would be the last time they would be together, after today he would hate her.

"Darce, are you alright?" Steve blinked as she cradled his cheek in her hand. He rested his hand over hers and leaned into her touch. After he was thawed he had thought that he wouldn't ever get his happy ending. That had all changed after he met a certain intern.

She was bright, and good, and everything he could ever hope for. She had become his everything, and he hoped she would agree to be his future. He smiled as he thought about the ring he had tucked away in the bedside table.

"Just thinking about how much I love you." Darcy leaned up and pressed her lips to his. She still had the rest of the morning with him and she wasn't about to waste it worrying.

Steve moaned as he pressed her down into the mattress, his hands making quick work of the small scrap of lace she called a nightgown. Today would be the start of the rest of his life, and what better way to start it than in the arms of the woman he loved?

* * *

Slipping on her shirt, Darcy stopped before she passed her chest. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, her eyes and fingers going straight to the scar that ran down the right side of her stomach. She had told Steve that it had been from having her appendix out a couple of years before. He thought the scar upset her, so he always paid attention to it. If only he knew what really lay beneath it.

Sighing she pulled her shirt fully down. It was too late now, everything had been set in motion long before she had ever met him. The only thing she could do now was protect him, even though she knew in the end he would hate her.

She pulled a small gold tube from one of the sink drawers, uncapped it and smoothed the bright red lipstick over her lips. With a last look in the mirror she slipped out of the bathroom to find Steve returning to the room with a couple of plates of food. Her eyes took in his undressed state and she had to remind herself that staying any longer would kill him.

"You don't have to go in today, do you?" Steve had thought Jane had given Darcy the day off. He had talked with her the afternoon before, told her of his plans. He had figured Jane would just get Tony to help if she needed him.

"Sorry, I know we were supposed to have the day together, but Jane called all frantic. You know how she is when she gets that way." Darcy slipped her feet into pair of flats as she adjusted the hat on her head. She had known this day had been coming since the beginning of it all, but even after all her training she couldn't help the fear that rose inside her.

"Yeah, I know. Well you better get going before she blows something up." After setting the plates of lunch on the bedside table, he grasped Darcy around her waist and pulled her to him. He smiled down at her before pressing his lips to hers.

He knew something was wrong only seconds after his lips pressed to hers. He felt the world spin and grow black around the edges. He pulled away from her and stumbled back until he hit the bed. "Darcy?"

Darcy watched as Steve fell back against the mattress, his body bouncing as he settled. Before he fully stilled she went to the table and pulled open the drawer. Her fingers curled around the small box inside. She had known what he had been planning for a month, had seen him hide the box away. The sad thing was that had things been different she would have said yes.

She crawled up the bed and settled by Steve. He blinked slowly at her, the drugs in the lipstick taking longer to work on him even if it had been made just for this purpose. She rested the box on his chest, opened it and pulled the ring out. With eyes glued to his she slipped the ring on her finger.

"I'm sorry, Steve. It was always going to end like this. I told you I was a bad girl." She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Just know, I never lied to you. I do love you. Goodbye."

Not allowing herself to cry, Darcy left the apartment she shared with Steve and headed for Avengers Headquarters.

* * *

No one looked at her twice as she walked the halls of headquarters, going straight for the labs. She wondered sometimes how these people managed to actually save the world, they were all so oblivious.

"Darcy? What are you doing here?" Jane stepped out from behind her desk and headed straight for her friend. Hopefully nothing happened between her and Steve. They were the Avengers favorite couple.

"I just wanted you to be the first one to know." Darcy spread a huge smile across her face and fluttered her hand at Jane, the diamond of her ring glittering in the white lights.

"Oh my God! I thought he wasn't going to propose until tonight!" Jane squealed as she ran up to gather her friend in a hug.

"Jane." Darcy locked her hands behind her friend's back, holding her tightly to her. "I'm sorry." She imagined she could hear the ticking from inside of her. Each one counting down to the end. She allowed a single tear to fall just before the fire inside started and the world exploded.

* * *

Steve groaned as he sat up. His body felt sluggish and his head seemed to weigh a hundred pounds. A knocking sounded throughout the room, at first he thought the sound had been coming from his head, but soon realized he was wrong when Tony barged into his room.

"What the fuck are you doing? This is no time to take a nap." Tony lifted the faceplate of his suit, taking in the appearance of the man before him. He looked like shit.

"I wasn't taking a nap, Darcy… she, she drugged me." He still couldn't figure out what in the world was going on. He had a million thoughts going through his head, and he wasn't sure he wanted the answers to any of them.

"Couldn't bring herself to kill her boy-toy huh?" Tony felt anger rising inside him like gorge. He had trusted her, befriended her and she had betrayed them all.

"What are you talking about?" Steve felt a falling in his stomach, his mind going back to Darcy's words just before she left.

"She blew up headquarters, Steve. Everyone is dead." Tony rushed forward to steady the other man as he wobbled on his feet.

"But, she…" Bile rose up the back of Steve's throat. "Where is she now?"

"Footage was transmitted to the tower just before everything blew…" Tony felt sick as he thought of watching that video. "Steve, she was the bomb. She's dead."

Steve stared blankly up at Tony before looking back at the empty ring box on the bed. The rest of his life huh? He shouldn't have kidded himself. There really was no happy ending for him.

* * *

A.N: Uh, yeah, so this came from the fact that I was listening to "The World Is Not Enough" by Garbage and looking at Shieldshock gifs. I was supposed to be working on Degrees, but I had to get this down. It is sort of based on the video for this song, though Darcy is not a machine.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media

franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


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